The terrifying moment a great white shark charged into a diving cage has been caught on camera (above).
In the video uploaded to Youtube by Spencer Reilly on Sunday, the shark comes speeding towards the cage before slamming into it just inches from the diver’s face. Luckily, the diver’s reflexes are as sharp as the peak predator’s teeth, pulling their hand out of the way as the immense jaws snap down on the bars of the cage.
The footage was captured during a shark cage dive experience in Gansbaai, South Africa.
The thrillseeking practice of cage diving with sharks, while they are being teased with large, bloody baits (as can be seen in this video), has drawn derision from some critics who say it may actually teach the sharks to associate humans with food and so lead to more shark attacks.
Champion Australian surfer Mick Fanning was lucky to escape with his life earlier this year after being attacked by a shark during a competition in South Africa and the incidence of attacks have become more regular off the Australian coast in recent years. Australia has the most reported shark fatalities in the world.
